It all started with a holiday card…

Seems like a simple task to send holiday cards, right? Surprisingly, this simple task seems to be the defining moment when organizations realize their contact data is a mess.

If the organization is pulling contact information from different sources, they run the risk of duplicating the message (that’s not going to make someone feel very special!). If they have all of their contacts in one spot, but incomplete information, they are unable to personalize the message and then it might as well be a holiday banner ad. Again, not feeling the individualized love here!

And what about those contacts that help you pay the bills and make payroll. Wouldn’t it be nice to send them a message saying, “Thank you for supporting us” or “Thank you for your business?” If you can’t clearly identify them, then this is an impossible task.

I like to use the analogy of a company that manufactures trucks. They may make garbage trucks, mail trucks and livestock transport trucks. If your data is not clearly segmented, your marketing messages cannot be targeted. You wouldn’t want to send a marketing campaign for “cleaning up the garbage with our highly functional garbage trucks” to the USPS – they are in the market to deliver the mail, not pick it up when the consumer doesn’t want it. Would you want an email about trucks for transporting cows when you are a sanitation engineer?

Let’s do the math:

WRONG MESSAGE = UNSUBSCRIBE

UNSUBSCRIBE = LOST REVENUE OPPORTUNITY

My point is in this day and age, you cannot afford to be passé about your database and the integrity of the data, Don’t be intimidated by big named Contact Relationship Management (CRM) systems. There are plenty of systems out there that are effective in cost, manageability, and scalability as you grow.

If you are ready to face your data, but need some help, feel free to give me a call to set up a free consultation. CLICK HERE to get started today.